Jordanian electricity workers are striking for the 13th day

The president of the Jordanian Electric Power Company voiced hope that the dispute between the company and its workers would be resolved within a day.

The president of the Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO) [2]employees’ independent union, Ahmad Meri, on Wednesday voiced hope that the dispute between the company and its workers would be resolved within a day.

Referring to meetings held this week at the Parliament with the attendance of ministers and company and union representatives, Meri said deputies had given JEPCO 24 hours to resolve the dispute. He warned that the employees planned to escalate their strike if the company did not meet their demands.

"We will hold an open-ended strike outside the Prime Ministry if the company does not resolve the issue today," he told The Jordan Times over the phone. JEPCO workers have been on strike since April 8[3], demanding four months bonus salary each year, end-of-service allowances, better health insurance and transportation services for all workers.

JEPCO employees are continuing to refuse bill payments from subscribers, whom the company has urged to pay their bills at post offices and banks instead. Previously, JEPCO Director General Marwan Bushnaq said that the strike was hurting the company’s finances.

Bushnaq explained that because employees have been refusing bill payments from subscribers, the company is owed around JD5 million in payments. He has also said that both the employees’ union and the strike were illegal, and that the company was planning to take legal action against the strikers.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Qutaiba Abu Qura told The Jordan Times over the phone on Tuesday that he would discuss the workers’ demands with concerned parties[4] in an attempt to resolve their dispute with the company.